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Here's the next installment of, The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
For the first time in years, Cairn Bloodhoof opened his green eyes, and heard the sounds of birds chirping, and the soft rustling of the leather curtains against the wall. He felt a cool breeze coming from his left, from the window, and he could feel the sun's rays upon his fur, warm and bright. It was all, to him, a reassurance.
A reassurance that he still lived.
The ancient tauren tried to sit up, but found it incredibly hard to do so. His joints were stiff, and when he tried to sit up, there was a loud series of cracks as they loosened, and several sharp bursts of pain. He grunted, flexing his arm, then curling his fingers. Once he had made a fist, he found it difficult to uncurl them, so he simply sat there for a few moments, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tried to loosen them.
He then turned to the right, grunting again from the sharp crack emanating from his neck. A few moments of this, and his neck was sufficiently loosened, before he turned his attention to his legs and hooves. Both were almost numb, and he realized that he must have been unconscious a great deal longer than he had expected. He made no move to get up, simply sitting in his bed, staring at the legs underneath the fur blankets.
He was remembering.
Remembering what had happened before he had been lost to the blackness of unconsciousness.
He remembered Veroden, standing above him, his violet eyes gleaming with disappointment, a greenish stone clutched in his hands.
"Stop me, Cairn." He had said, almost commanded, but Cairn had been unable to. He hadn't been able to believe what the other tauren had just told him.
About his son.
Another powerful, surge of depression ran through the ancient tauren's chest. His son…
The door suddenly opened.
Blinking, Cairn turned to meet the newcomer, whom he recognized instantly.
"Hamuul…" he whispered. His voice was raspy and deep, but still held an edge of power and wisdom.
The Archdruid smiled widely, his gray eyes filled with life and hope and relief. Hamuul walked up and wrapped his arms around Cairn, making no sound.
"Good," he said, releasing the elder tauren, and stepping back, "you have finally awakened."
"What has happened…?" he croaked.
"Much, my chief, much. It is best that is saved for later, however. You must rest, your body is weak, therefore you must-"
"My body is not weak, Hamuul. I am as strong as a kodo, and always will be."
To prove his point, Cairn turned and swung his massive legs over the edge of the bed, and pushed himself to his feet. Hamuul stepped back, ready to catch the High Chieftain should his legs give out, but Cairn stood firm.
The old tauren chieftain smiled triumphantly at his old friend, who smiled and gave a laugh.
"You are the same as always, Cairn. Even years in a coma have not stunted your stubbornness and pride."
Cairn's eyes changed at the mention of the coma, and he sat once more, looking troubled, and depressed.
"Yes…how many years has it been?" he rasped.
"Nearly eight, my chief."
Cairn sighed, looking as ancient as his years suggested. His stroked the braided, grey beard, and said nothing more.
"What has become of my village in that time?" Cairn finally asked looking steadily at Hamuul.
Hamuul sighed slightly, "It…has not prospered. It has not stagnated to the point of which it can not return, however, but it will be some time before it can truly regain its former glory."
Cairn nodded, his heart aching.
"What's more…" continued Hamuul, gazing out the window into the sunny sky, "Veroden betrayed us, and was responsible for Baine's current condition. He has governed Thunder Bluff, acting as regent, for the past eight years, but cut all ties to the Horde. We have, by our own actions, and what we thought you would wish, isolated our people in Mulgore. We watched, unable to do anything for fear of you and your son's safety, as the Venture Co. continued to blight and destroy our lands."
Hamuul watched as Cairn's eyes flickered from a burning rage, perhaps at their own incompetence, perhaps at Veroden's actions, before it dissipated into a resigned, sad look, that made Hamuul's own heart ache.
"I…" began Cairn, his ancient eyes staring into Hamuul's, "have been a fool. My actions…have endangered all of you, my people, those most precious to me in my life. Before Veroden struck me down with that infernal ability of his, cared not for my people as a whole, but only for my bloodline and family. I realize, now, that I was too concerned for them, I believed that it was I who should protect them, and that they had no will of their own to decide their fate. When Baine was lost…I thought of nothing but getting him back. I did not think about my people first, I thought only of myself, and my happiness. For that, I ask of you, Hamuul, my oldest friend, that you forgive an old fool for his mistakes."
Hamuul smiled sadly, "You are forgiven a hundred times over, Cairn, for we played a part in this situation as well. We stumbled around as one would in the deepest darkness, with no candle to light our way. We relied too much on your decisions, and it was our incompetence in that area that led us to nearly eight years of inactivity, rotting away atop this bluff, as Mulgore died around us. It is not the leader that makes the people, I realize now, but rather the people's heart and soul that makes the leader. Without your brilliance, we could do nothing, until a fire was lit for us…lit in our hearts and minds, by a mere human boy…"
Cairn's eyebrows shot up, and he blinked rapidly, staring unbelieving at the Archdruid.
"Human boy…?"
"Grandfather!"
Cairn swiveled his ancient head towards the door, which shot open, and a heavily bandaged, worried looking Kaine erupted into the room, looking around wildly. It made for a very amusing sight for the two older tauren.
Upon catching sight of Cairn, the young tauren gave a joyous laugh, and without hesitation, ran forwards and hugged the ancient tauren.
"You're awake! I can't believe it! This is great! Hamuul, isn't this great? My grandfather's awake!"
Hamuul chuckled at Kaine's excited babbling, saying, "It is indeed, great, young one."
Cairn, let out a rumbling laugh, and hugged Kaine back tightly, his green eyes shining with the first joy and happiness that he had felt since awakening.
"Ah, Kaine, it is good to see you, after so long…" he said, releasing his grandson before stumbling slightly, and sitting back down on the bed.
"I did it, grandfather! We did it! We stopped Veroden, and the Venture Co. is gone from our lands! We're free grandfather, free!"
Cairn stiffened, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had known that something must have happened to Veroden for him to be awake at this point, but he had not expected his grandson to be the one responsible! He looked at Hamuul, who, to both their surprise, scratched his head sheepishly.
"I forgot to mention that bit, it would seem. I thought it best for the bad news to be delivered first."
Cairn, breaking out of his shock, gave a deep, raspy, rumbling laugh. "My old heart may not have been able to take it…perhaps the good news would have been better first." He looked back at Kaine, and asked, "How did this come to be? You must have played a large part in this endeavor, so please enlighten me with the details of your no doubt glorious victory."
So Kaine did. He wasted no time in explaining his first meeting with Naruto, to the training sessions, to Naruto's words and then to the attack on the Northern Mulgore camp of the Venture Co., finally to Veroden's rampage, the fight against Veroden himself, and his part in the fight against Cyrussian and the monstrous Ventursaurus Rex. By the end, Cairn's heart was nearly aching, but his time, from an overwhelming pride in his grandson, and gratitude to the human boy whom had motivated his people and the orc whom had planned the successful attack.
"You have done so well, Kaine. You are now a true warrior…perhaps even greater than I…"
Kaine blinked in shock, his eyes wide at the compliment. He hastened to deny that fact, but was interrupted by Cairn.
"And what of…your father?"
Kaine deflated instantly, and he looked down, bowing his head slightly.
"We…were not able to save him…"
Flashback"You okay?" asked Kaine, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. The blonde blinked, and flashed a grin at him.
"Don't think I'm gonna be able to move for a while after this…but yeah…fine."
Kaine smirked, and turned away from the blonde shinobi, his eyes fixated upon the limp form of the president of the Venture Company.
Cyrussian T. Venture lay near the foot of the great tree that was once his pet, the Ventursaurus Rex. There was rather large indentation in the trunk, from where Cyrussian had been ejected by Naruto's Rasengan, and the goblin himself lay in a small pool of his own blood, and was still twitching slightly, his arms grasping at the dirt in front of him.
It was apparent that he had not died on impact with the tree, as Kaine had originally thought.
But it did give him a chance, to ask what he needed to.
Kaine walked forwards, his eyes cold, and stopped a few feet in front of the person who had caused his people so much pain. He gritted his teeth.
"I'll ask you once…where is my father?"
The goblin gave a cruel, gurgling laugh, but didn't respond.
Growling in anger, Kaine kicked the goblin in the chest, turning him over. He nearly vomited upon seeing the damage done by Naruto's attack on Cyrussian's chest.
It was a twisted mess of green flesh and deep, red blood. A number of ribs stuck out from the mess strange angles, and the rest of the goblin's front was cut away and burned. His purple cloak was in shreds, as were the fine clothes that he had always worn. But he was smiling, something the dying goblin should not have been doing.
"WHERE IS MY FATHER?" roared Kaine, slamming his hoof into the ground near the Trade Prince's head.
Cyrussian gave another laugh, blood flying from his mouth. He was terribly amused by the young tauren's shouting, and Kaine could not figure out why.
"Ha! Y…ou…want t…o…know?" he asked, spitting up more blood and bile.
"I…sold…t…hat stupid…soul! I…got…a great…price…from a s…tupid…warlock…visiting…the Undermine! I…told you! T…here….isn't anything…in…this world…that cannot…be…acquired…for the right…price!"
Cyrussian gave another cruel laugh at the look on Cairn's face, and continued to laugh, even as his heart, shredded by the chakra from Naruto's attack, finally stopped beating. Kaine raised his hoof, suddenly, his eyes full of rage, his mouth twisted into a snarl, uttering a guttural sound entirely out of character for him. Seconds before he brought in crashing down on the already unmoving, still smiling head of the Trade Prince, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"It wouldn't do, brat, to get that filth all over your hoof. He is gone…there is nothing we can do," Golbarn mumbled, his eyes uncharacteristically soft.
Kaine lowered his leg, all the anger evaporating from him.
He hadn't done it…
His father was gone.
End Flashback
"I…see," whispered Cairn, his eyes downcast as well.
"I'm sorry…grandfather…I was unable to—"
"There is nothing to be sorry about, Kaine," said Cairn, looking up at the young tauren, his eyes sad, yet proud. "There was nothing that could have been done…and I play just as big a part in this…I was unable to stop Veroden, and thus unable to right this wrong, before it even began."
Kaine said nothing for a moment, his eyes remaining fixated on the floor. Then, he looked up at his grandfather, and spoke calmly.
"Why did he do it? I think…that in the end…I knew…but I need to know for sure."
Cairn looked lost for a second, his mind drifting back to the first time he had met the Grimtotem outcast.
"Veroden was raised to be a Grimtotem. He was raised to believe that it was the shaman's own talent and power that made them strong, and that the spirits were nothing more than a crutch for those who were weak. They, for that reason, shunned the use of totems, and instead focused on enhancing their bodies, in a power not unlike Thrall's style. But unlike Thrall, they were fiercely intolerant of those who used totems, and believed in the spirits. This prejudice led them to create the ability that defeated me, and likely my son. Veroden grew up, this belief ingrained into him by his training. However, when he saw me, likely in battle against the Burning Legion, and saw both the power that I possessed, and the respected that I had garnered from my people, he grew doubtful of what was truly correct. So he came to me, most likely to learn about my power, and I found myself with an ally, and eventually an indispensable friend. I think that through both the actions of my son and I, we were able to bury those beliefs that his clan had taught him. But, I think, that somehow, that was not enough…perhaps it was in my weakness, when the centaurs captured Baine that his beliefs began to resurface. Perhaps when he saw my lapse in power, and then, when I felt the strain of Mulgore's blight from the Venture Company, perhaps they were uncovered completely. He saw my pain as a weakness, and I think he set out to discover for himself, which was truly the greater belief. He used his ability to defeat my son, and then me. When you utilized the abilities that you had learned by watching the human boy fight, you showed him that his earlier beliefs were correct."
Kaine blinked in confusion.
"But, then why would he…?"
Cairn sighed softly, and said, "Perhaps…we were too dear to him…perhaps he didn't want to be right, and when that occurred, he decided that even if his clan's beliefs were correct, that he would rather die than truly betray us again. So he sought redemption, in destroying the force that was about to kill my grandson and his friends."
Kaine was silent for a while, his mind brimming with the information. It made sense…in his opinion.
"I…do not regret it, however," said Cairn, his eyes once more fixated on Kaine, "I do not regret bringing Veroden into Thunder Bluff, nor do I regret forging a friendship with him. But I do regret not seeing the doubt begin to form. While the results of all of this…are bleak, they are not without a small grain of hope. Baine is not dead…and his soul remains in this world. I would have felt if it had crossed over, as would you. Therefore, he is still alive, somewhere. Some day, perhaps, we may be able to locate his soul…until then," he looked out the window, a small smile on his face, " we preserve his body, and keep him alive in our spirits…there is never no hope…"
At this, Kaine actually gave a small laugh. At his grandfather's questioning eyebrow, he said,
"That moron Naruto…said the same thing, earlier."
Cairn smiled grew, and he tried to pull himself to his feet.
"Yes, this Naruto…perhaps I should meet him…for all he has done, I think I must give him something."
Hamuul, who had remained in the background for the entire discussion, stepped forwards.
"He is currently in the medicine tent on Spirit Rise…and I'm told making quite a fuss over the diet arrangements that have been made…"
Kaine grinned, " I know I would!"
Cairn gave a rumbling chuckle and stood, "Then there is where we shall go…Hamuul, could you fetch me that –"
"I'm not eating this!"
"It is healthy, and from your stature, little human, it would seem that you are anything but! If you eat this, you may reach half my height in only a few years!"
"WHY YOU…!"
"Shut up, brat," snapped Golbarn, massaging his temples as he listened to the young blonde verbally spar with the druid that was taking care of them. He had managed to recover mostly from his wounds, but Naruto had been damaged enough so that he needed to remain about a day longer, and he was not happy.
Interestingly, aside from the enormous damage that Naruto had suffered from the Ventursaurus itself, he had somehow garnered an enormous amount of extra damage, which neither Kaine nor Golbarn could identify. Golbarn was under the belief that the blonde had received damage from the beast's lightening breath, after being struck with it, but the glowing red chakra had appeared to protect him, or else he would have been reduced to mere cinders.
Naruto wasn't any help, either, because he barely remembered what had occurred during that brief period when he had been engulfed by the reddish chakra. Kaine had been told of Naruto's during his stay in the tent, and had been surprisingly accepting of the demon's presence. He had just found it annoying that Naruto hadn't yet used it in one of their spars.
Golbarn was finally able to enjoy some silence when the druid departed, leaving the small bowl of crushed roots, herbs and other tauren delicacies in Naruto's lap. The blonde stared at it with disgust, but, in realizing that it wasn't going to go away, began to sniff it.
Golbarn settled down to get some rest, but that was interrupted when Naruto asked,
"So what's gonna happen to the Venture Co., anyways? They have no leader, so are they just gonna disappear or something?"
Golbarn raised an eyebrow at the boy's curiosity, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he said, as Naruto began poking the gooey mass of various forms of flora, " Not likely, brat. Companies like that are filled with people who are the same as that goblin, so it won't take long for him to be replaced. However, there is no doubt that it will lose power and influence. Perhaps, if we're lucky, it will break into several sections, and no longer remain a monopoly. That megalomaniacal fool's ways will no doubt have bred several power seeking members, who will jump at the chance to amass the power and wealth that he possessed. We certainly haven't seen the last of the Venture Co., not by a long shot, however, I doubt it will return here anytime soon."
Naruto nodded in agreement, and put a small dollop of the greenish paste into his mouth. He made a face, and leaned into his bowl, obscuring his actions. However, Golbarn made a disgusted face and said, "And people think I'm barbaric? Don't spit that back in there, brat!"
Naruto, having finished regurgitating his food, stuck his tongue (now slightly green) at the similarly colored orc.
"You can't tell me what to do, bastard!"
"But I can make you, brat!" the orc thundered, ready to get up and pounce on the bedridden blonde. He would have done so, but the tent flap suddenly opened, and Kaine strode in, grinning brightly. Behind him, a massive, incredibly old looking tauren followed. He wobbled slightly with each step, leaning on his grandson for support, yet he still managed to hold an air of wisdom, and power.
Golbarn's eyes widened in recognition, and Naruto blinked several times, trying to connect the powerful old tauren to the weak looking one he had seen lying unconscious on the bed several days prior.
"Yo! Golbarn, Naruto, I want you to meet my grandfather, Cairn!"
Golbarn lowered his head slightly, acknowledging the tauren's presence. He knew that it was an honor to be treated so well, having the High Chieftain of all the tauren come and visit them in the medicine tent, especially after years of being unconscious.
Naruto, however, was not so wise, instead choosing to whisper, almost in awe, "He's really old…"
WHAP!
"Ow! What the heck was that for?" Naruto snapped, glaring at Kaine, who had crossed the room and smacked him heard on the head.
"Don't say that to my grandfather, you pinkskinned bastard! Show some respect!"
"But it's true! He's older than Tsunade-baba! He must be like, a hundred! That's old! Should he really be standing?"
Kaine raised his fist to hit the blonde again, but was interrupted by Cairn's powerful, reverberating laughter. The old tauren, leaning against a small, wooden table, nearly fell to his knees from the laughter. Naruto grinned, while Kaine flushed a little.
"Ahh, youth! I do remember the time when I could flippantly insult my elders! Quite a time, it was…should you do it again, however," his eyes, once dull and old looking, were suddenly filled with a white-hot fire that made Naruto stiffen, "I'll show you what it is like to wake up from eight years of sleep…you got that, boy?"
Naruto gulped slightly, nodding his head.
This guy's scary…
Having proved to the blonde that he still possessed the fire of youth (as great as Gai's, perhaps!) Cairn walked forwards to the edge of Naruto's bed.
"Thank you," he said, his green eyes verifying and multiplying the sincerity of his words a thousand fold.
Naruto nodded his head, grinning slightly, and feeling warmth spreading throughout his chest. It was not unlike what had happened with Mekkatorque, yet Cairn's feelings were so much more powerful, and so easily conveyed, that Naruto felt touched that he was being praised by the wise tauren.
"You have done so much for my people…a people that has done nothing for you in the past, and yet you still risked your life for them. There is truly nothing that I can do to repay you for what you have done."
Naruto, by now blushing, blinked in surprise, and remembered something.
"You could listen to something," he said, looking up at the tauren.
Cairn cocked his head to the side, and nodded.
"Then speak, young one…and I will listen."
"That is an interesting proposal," said Cairn, now sitting upon a wooden stool that Kaine had brought him. Naruto had just finished what he had set out from Stormwind to do, and throughout the entire time, Cairn had remained silent.
"Normally, I would judge that it is but a fool's dream, that given the history between the people's that you intend to unite…it would be impossible. However, hearing you success with the gnomes and the dwarves, and experiencing your success with my own people…I think that you may be able to accomplish it. But for now, I will not join."
Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Cairn interrupted him calmly.
"Do not misunderstand, child, I do not intend to completely disregard your proposal. However, there is first the duty that I have to Thrall, and the Horde. He is an old friend, and I will not commit to this until he has done so. The Horde must be complete, and should all the members of its folds, even Sylvanas the Banshee Queen, agree to become apart of it, then I will as well. We are united, and though Thrall is recognized as Warchief, we all play our own parts under the banner of the Horde.
"It is good, too, that you have not spoken of this to Thrall. I know, that until you have gained his absolute trust, which I doubt you have, he will not agree. Therefore, you must work hard, and prove yourself to him, and perhaps, then he will listen. It should not be a problem for you, however. That ability that you possess…the ability to ignite the fire that lies within everyone, their spirits, and make friends with even those whom have despised your kind for years. With that ability, you will, I think, accomplish what you have set out to do. It will be difficult, no doubt, but I think that you will do it."
Naruto was smiling as brightly as the sun by the end, and both his determination to keep his promise, and the hope that this had not been vain, swelled to new levels. He would do what he had set out to do.
Nothing was going to stop him.
Cairn gave the blonde a warm smile, before he spoke again.
"Now, young one, I think that for all that you have done for my people, you deserve a reward."
"A reward?" Naruto parroted, looking shocked for a second, before it quickly turned to a giddy glee. No one had ever given him a reward before!
"Indeed," said Cairn, and reached within the folds of his leather tunic. He withdrew a small silver whistle, which was slightly beat up, and was attached to a leather thong, which hung around his neck. He lifted the whistle up and over his head, and held it out in front of him, smiling.
"This, is your reward, child."
Naruto blinked, staring at the whistle with slight disbelief.
"A whistle?" he muttered, sweat dropping.
"Ah, it is more than just that…this is a Spirit whistle, child."
"Spirit whistle?" the blonde repeated, frowning slightly.
"Yes, we once forged these whistles in great abundance. However, the metal used to create it is very scarce, now, and there are few now who know how to place the seals and runes upon it that give it the power that it possesses. So, let me explain. It is our belief that there exists a connection in every person, a connection from their very soul, to another in this world. This other is an animal, a creature born from the earth that shares a link with your soul, and thusly binds you together. Every being in this world, from the lowest thief to the greatest king, possesses this connection, or so we believe. Indeed, this connection is very much like that of the connection a totem forges. Instead of a connection between you and the earth and the elements themselves, it is between you and your spirit counterpart. But those who are not open to the spirits and voices of the world, as we are, cannot find their spirit counterparts, and thusly both go through their lives without ever meeting. Since we joined with Thrall, we began to forge these whistles so that those who were not like us could discover their spirit counterparts, and would gain a powerful ally. This is one of the few that we have remaining, and I think that it would suit you well, child."
Naruto gazed at the small object with a new excitement, the prospects of having an animal becoming his ally more than pleasing.
"So it's kinda like what that stupid goblin had with the Ventursaurus Rex," he muttered.
Cairn nodded, though his face was disgusted at the thought. "It is indeed much like that, but with one difference. Cyrussian's relationship with his "pet" was that of a master and slave. He was the master, who owned every part of the beast that he had created through his greed, and the monster his slave, created for that sole purpose. The bond the spirit whistle forges is one of mutuality, and your spirit counterpart is an ally, not a pet, not a slave."
Naruto reached out a plucked the whistle from Cairn's hand, gazing at it with a growing giddiness.
"How do I get my spirit counterpart?" he asked excitedly, glancing at Cairn, waiting for an answer.
The tauren chuckled, and said calmly, "It is simple, but may be quite time consuming. You must blow it in the presence of the animal that will become your spirit counterpart. Not the exact animal, merely the type, and your spirit counterpart will come, having heard from his brothers. This is how Thrall gained his white wolf, Snowsong, though she is now dead, and Rexxar his bear, Misha. I cannot be sure what your animal may be, child, but I can guess that it will be something great."
By now, Naruto was near bursting with animation, almost bouncing up and down in his seat. So many possibilities! Maybe it would be a dinosaur, or maybe a griffon, or a wyvern? Maybe a dragon! There were so many different creatures, and many that he had not yet seen or heard of. He realized, however, that whatever he got, it was going to be awesome.
I hope it isn't a toad…or a fox.
SO DO I.
Cairn smiled at the enthusiasm of the blonde shinobi, before he lifted himself to his feet, smiling.
"I'd best leave you to your rest…I have no doubt that you are going to want to return to Orgrimmar in the morning. I will be sure to- ah! Is this what I think it is?"
The ancient tauren lifted Naruto's long forgotten bowl of mush, and inhaled the scent sharply, smiling in remembrance.
"This brings back memories…I always did love this dish!" The High Chieftain lifted some out of the bowl on his fingers and brought it towards his mouth.
Naruto, breaking out of his daydreams of having a giant dragon for a spirit counterpart, blinked when he realized what was about to happen.
Isn't that… uh oh.
Golbarn, at the same time, remembered the reason why he had been so angry with Naruto before Cairn had arrived.
"Ahh, old man, don't eat that!"
"High Chieftain Cairn, don't eat that!"
The day, as clear and bright as the previous, filled Naruto with a renewed sense of hope and cheer. He and Golbarn stood at the end of the wooden elevator platform, their backs to the elevator, as they said goodbye to the group of tauren that had gathered to see them off.
Cairn, who now leaned on a large staff, smiled at the two.
"I will not bore you with long goodbyes…so know that you are always welcome in Thunder Bluff. I hope next time, child," he said, gazing at Naruto, who flushed sheepishly, "that you will be a little more accepting of our food…a repeat of yesterday will get you thrown off the Bluff, literally."
Naruto sweat dropped, but nodded. The old tauren was no doubt dead serious, and he didn't want to piss him off any more than he already had.
Kaine stood a little ways in front of the crowd, and stared hard at Naruto. Naruto stared back, and for a while they remained silent.
The young Bloodhoof smiled at the first person he could truly call his friend, someone who saw him as an equal, and someone who showed him a lot, despite his apparent stupidity.
Naruto grinned back, knowing that he had made a valuable, and special friend, and a new precious person in his life. He stuck out his hand, and pointed his thumb skywards, grinning wider at Kaine, his eyes squinted in the same fox-like way that he always had.
"Oi, cow-face! Next time I see you, you'd better be stronger, so you'll actually have a chance against me! That a promise?"
Kaine stuck out his hand as well, a similar smile on his face.
"Oi, pinkskin! You got yourself a promise! But it's gonna be you whose gonna need to train to stand a chance against me!"
Cairn gave a warm smile, Hamuul chuckled, and Golbarn snorted.
They are alike in many ways… thought Cairn, smiling at the two. He watched then, as Naruto turned and stepped onto the elevator, Golbarn following slowly. The elevator started again, and soon they had vanished beneath the ledge, leaving the crowd alone.
Kaine still had his hand stuck out, and was still smiling, though it was slightly more sad.
I'm going to get strong, you moron…and I promise that I will help you do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal!
Cairn turned away from his grandson, and followed Hamuul back towards the central village.
"He is very much like his father," said Hamuul, watching Cairn idly.
Cairn nodded, smiling, "Indeed he is…so much so that I think…I may have found the one who will take over in my stead…"
They both stopped when they heard a distant shout from below, calling, "Hey, one of those giant bird things! Maybe that's my spirit counterpart!"
PHWEEEEET!
"Guess not! Ah! Look, there's a mountain lion, maybe that's it!"
PHWEEEEET!
Cairn and Hamuul sweat dropped, both picturing the look on Golbarn's face.
"It's too bad that the wyverns all contracted a flu from their trip to Stonetalon…" said Hamuul, smiling slightly.
Cairn nodded in tandem, laughing.
Done! But don't waste time reading this part! There is another chapter waiting for you right now! GO GO GO! All the review responses will be on that page!
I will also convey my deepest apologies in the form of…uhm….not ritualistic suicide!